Eco-Congregation Ireland (ECI) hopes that churches throughout Ireland will observe Creation Time from 1st September to 4th October 2011 by praying for and working for the protection of God’s creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles.
Churches are invited to adopt the theme ‘Our Daily Bread – Food in God’s Creation’ on either one Sunday during Creation Time, or over the five weeks by focussing on the role of food in God’s creation and in our lives.
ECI once again helped prepare the Creation Time resources, which are free to download from the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website – www.ctbi.org.uk/creationtime.
The extensive resources include sermon outlines, prayers, a service with accompanying Power Point, group study notes, harvest festival ideas and background information on food and agriculture.
Encouraging churches of all denominations to observe Creation Time, ECI chairperson Catherine Brennan SSL says: “The food crisis in our world is not a political but a spiritual one, prompted by a breakdown in our relationship with the earth. We live God’s love for the whole of Creation in the way we farm our land, garden, rear our animals, trade, shop, cook and share meals together and deal with our food waste.
“If we perform our everyday actions carefully and mindfully we are living in right relationship with the whole community of life, particularly with the most vulnerable. May God make us more aware of God’s generosity and our responsibilities as we pray for our daily bread.”
Creation Time provides an opportunity each year for churches to celebrate creation and consider how they care for the earth. It grew out of a resolution adopted by the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) in 1999, which recommended that churches consider and promote the preservation of creation as part of church life at all levels. The rationale behind the initiative was that “Commitment to preservation of the creation is not an issue among many others but an essential dimension of all church life.'”
The Third European Ecumenical Assembly held in Sibiu in 2007 concluded with the recommendation “that the period from 1 September to 4 October be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change”.
The World Council of Churches supports these resolutions and promotes the observance of Creation Time throughout the globe. The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, in its pastoral reflection, The Cry of the Earth, also asks churches to join together in celebrating Creation Time.
“What’s the food like?”, “Who is providing the food?”, “Is there enough food to go around?” Our everyday talk constantly makes reference to food, which is no surprise, as food and drink are essentials for life and survival. Food is also one of the enjoyments of life and a major part of our trade. Much of our land is given to food production and huge industries are involved in food production and distribution.
Christians acknowledge that the ultimate source of our food is Creator God, whose faithfulness to the covenant promise that seed-time and harvest will not cease is our ultimate food security. But there is a great deal that happens between the feeding and watering “by God’s Almighty hand” and the enjoyment of food at a party in suburbia, or the empty stomachs of too many people in sub-Saharan Africa.
When we pray “Give us our daily bread” we are both acknowledging our dependence on God’s generosity and our realisation that the answer to that prayer needs to include agriculture, commerce, sharing, trade-justice, animal welfare, diet and a host of other considerations.
